Continuing Education classes must be taken between February 1, 2017 and January 15, 2019.

An individual that holds a license to practice a branch of cosmetology or an instructor license is required to complete the following hours of continuing education:

One (1) hour of CE concerning Board laws and rules: Can be applied to multiple licenses held. (Only provided by the Board)

Two (2) hours of CE concerning sanitation and safety:

Because the Board must be able to track CE completion to the credential held, the two hour safety/sanitation education must be a separate two (2) hour course if a licensee wants to apply it to multiple licenses. Otherwise, the course will need to be combined with the scope specific education.

Five (5) hours of CE concerning subject matter relating to the scope of services for each license held by the individual: Can only be applied to a license that matches the scope of practice subject matter of the course.

Example: A licensee that holds a Cosmetologist license and an Esthetician license may take:

1 - hour of Board laws and rules CE (Only provided by the Board)

2 - hours of Safety and Sanitation CE (from a separate 2 hour course)

5- hours cosmetology specific CE

5 - hours esthetics specific CE

or, if the Safety and Sanitation CE is not a separate course

1 - hour of Board laws and rules CE (Only provided by the Board)

7 - hours CE containing 2 hour Safety and Sanitation

and 5 – hours cosmetology specific CE

7 - hours CE containing 2 hour Safety and Sanitation

and 5 – hours esthetics specific CE

Any CE class intended to be used for license renewal must have pre-approval by the Board. It is the responsibility of the licensee to determine if a CE class has been approved. Approved classes are listed on the Board website www.cos.ohio.gov. Licensees should ask the provider of the class if Board approval has been obtained. If there are questions regarding specific CE course content, loss of a certificate of completion, directions, etc. please contact the provider of the class directly.

When taking a continuing education class, licensees are required to sign-in to the class using their name and Board license number (e.g.COSM.991234). Upon completion of the class, licensees should receive a certificate of completion. The certificate should include the date, location, hours received, course approval number, and name of class. NOTE: During the CE audit the Board may request proof of completion of CE hours. Therefore, the certificate should be retained in a safe and accessible place.

First Time Licensee
If this is your first Ohio license, you are not required to obtain continuing education hours for this renewal period. Payment of renewal fee is required to keep a license active. NOTE: An Instructors license is not eligible for this exemption.

Sixty-Five (65) or older
Licensees age sixty-five or older before January 31, 2019 are not required to complete CE hours. Payment of renewal fee is required to keep a license active.

Inactive (formerly Escrow)
Licensees that place their license in an INACTIVE status are not required to complete CE hours during the time the license is INACTIVE. Completion of the required number of CE hours must be completed in order to restore a license to an ACTIVE status. To begin the process of restoring a INACTIVE license to an ACTIVE status CLICK HERE

Lapsed/Amnesty
If a renewal fee has not been received for two-consecutive renewal periods (4 years), the license will go into a LAPSED status. To restore the license to an ACTIVE status, the licensee is required to pay all back fees and obtain up to twenty-four (24) hours of CE. To begin the process of restoring a LAPSED license to an ACTIVE status CLICK HERE.

Instructors
Licensees who hold an instructors license must obtain five (5) of the eight (8) required CE hours on scope specific material related to the topic of instructing.